In the last issue, the topic covered was biological filtration basics. This article will begin to cover the actual filters on the market.

To begin, there is no perfect filter. We will begin with the most popular biological filter, the biological waterfall. Many companies manufacture these units. They all have a similar design. This is an upflow design, meaning that the water comes in the bottom and then flows up and out of the unit. The output of this filter is designed to be the beginning of a waterfall. The unit is comprised of either a plastic or fiberglass container. Two or three polyester pads are placed horizontally in the container. These are supported off the bottom by pipes or a rack system. Water flows in under the pads and is supposed to flow up through the pads.

Bags of rocks or something similar are set on top of the pads. The manufacturer says this material allows for more filtering to occur. In fact, they are there to hold the pads down to prevent the water from pushing the pads up. Some manufacturers provide a container for plants at the top of the unit.

Let’s first consider the down side of these units and then take a look at the up side. The first problem is using an upflow design with polyester pads. As the pads start to grow bacteria they begin to clog and the water finds it is easier to go around the pads than to go through the media. This is because the water pushing up helps to push the pads away from the walls of the container. With no water going through the pads, the bacteria are deprived of oxygen and die. Then there is the matter of the bags of material on top. There are usually two to three bags for media. Again, water is usually going to go around the bags of media instead of inside. In addition there is the size of the container versus the flow of water through it. In most cases the water flows through the container in a minute or less. At that rate the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate can’t survive.

Although I stated I would include the positive features of this type of filter, there really aren’t that many. While there is some filtering occurring, it is not much. The bacteria can grow on the walls of the piping going to the unit, the walls of the container, the top and bottom of the pad assembly, and the sides of the bags. If there are plants in the top, you will get some benefit from them. The problem is that this isn’t much surface area so not a lot of bacteria is growing.

Next let’s talk about downflow filters with pads. One manufacturer of some of the best is Patio Ponds, Ltd. They produce two very good ones with polyester pads and one with Matala pads. The Big Sister and Little Sister filters have been around for years. The Vista came on the market last year.

First let’s cover the Big and Little Sister filters’ design. These two filters are very similar with the differences being the size of the container and the material they are made of. They have two chambers. The first contains a spray bar that the water from the pond is pumped through. The water travels horizontally through this chamber, passing through a barrier of brushes. It enters the next chamber by going over a weir. The water then goes down through pads to the exit pipe and flows back to the pond.

First let’s review the good points of these filters. The water enters these filters by going through a spray bar. This adds oxygen to the water. As discussed earlier, bacteria needs lots of oxygen. The water passes through brushes removing most of the debris in the water plus providing a large surface area for bacteria to grow. Next the water flows into the second chamber, going through the pads to exit the filter. How, you might ask, is this different from the example of the waterfall filter?

In the downflow design the manufacturer is using the movement of the water to force it through the pads and not around them. As the pads get clogged up, the water pressure pushes the pads down against the bottom of the container. This seals the pads against the container and prevents water from going around them. This means that the bacteria are now using all the inner surface area of the pads. What happens if these pads get totally clogged up and water can’t get through? The design of the filter is such that the water goes through the pads to the open end of the exit pipe. The water then goes up this pipe and out of the filter. If the pads get clogged up, the water in the chamber rises to a point where the top of the exit pipe is located. Here the water is allowed to flow over the top and out of the filter. This also indicates when the filter should be cleaned. The bottom of each chamber is sloped to drains. Valves are mounted on these drains, allowing debris in each chamber to easily be drained from the filter by opening the valves. The spray bars regulate the flow rate of water going through the filter. So the minimum time the water takes to get through the filter is at least 5 minutes.

Now let’s talk about the down sides to these filters. There are two that I can think of. First, the larger of the two filters is good for a maximum pond size of 4500 gal. Second is that the water coming out of the filters has to flow back via gravity. Because of this the filter has to be above the pond level, meaning the rectangular box needs to be disguised or hidden.

We’ve talked about polyester pads being used in upflow and downflow filters. Next is a filter that uses polyester pads in a horizontal flow filter. Last year, Emperor Aquatics came out with the Hydro Max filter, using polyester pads in a horizontal design. Water from the pond is pumped through a spray nozzle. The filter is one chamber. Water passes horizontally through a row of brushes then through a series of pads, proceeding from coarser to finer. The pads are held vertically in the filter chamber by slots molded in the sides and bottom of the container. Similar to the downflow filter, as the pads get clogged up, they push tighter against the slots and seal to prevent water from flowing around them. If the pads get too clogged to let water through them, the chamber fills and the water goes over the top of the filter, flowing out a drain pipe back to the pond. The last part of the chamber is designed so one or two UV lights can be fitted into the filter. This filter can handle a 3000 gal pond.

The down sides to this filters are the same as those stated for the Patio Ponds filters. As these filters are new to the market, there may be problems once the pads become older (1 year or more). My thoughts are that once the pads are older and lose their stiffness, they may start bowing in the center, pulling the edges of the pads away for the slots, letting water go around them. If this is the case, the pads would need to be replaced before they are in actuality worn out.

It is apparent that depending upon the media used, different types of flow design can work well or may not work at all, as I have shown with the upflow with polyester pads versus downflow or horizontal flow with the same type of pads. This is true with most medias used in filters. Depending upon the type of media will determine which flow design works best. This doesn’t mean that another flow design won’t work but it may not work as well or may present other problems.

In the next issue I will continue to talk about filter types. We will cover filters such as bead filters, trickle town, vortex, fluidbed sand, bio reactors, and other types. This will probably take more than one article as there is so much material to cover.

By
Mike White
White Water Filters, LLC

Less than Sixty days out from INFO-TANZA 2009!!!!! Check out the schedule of events at www.infotanza.com and newly uploaded www.Pondshow.org and be there! As this season winds down in our regions five and six, the snowbirds start to move south. So does the work. Hello, Florida and Texas and may the eyes of the fall storms gaze upon somewhere else. I look around this “industry” (I use the term VERY loosely) and hear comments like, “the work has dried up” or “somebody else under bid me!” I hear even worse from product manufacturers whose sales are off because of this reason or that reason. The fact is, this is a very volatile yet inter-connected market place. The “old” rules no longer apply. I will draw on the well written book,“Who Moved My Cheese”, to make this point. In the book, when the “cheese” was not in its’ appointed place, there were those that returned day after day to a place where the “cheese” was supposed to be and eventually starved. In every day life, there are individuals that are faced with the same problem. So, when things are not the same, what is the answer? Work the problem! I kind of like the political term that has recently been coined for “grass roots” movements that are manufactured. The term is "Astroturf”, and by definition, a synthetic product that will survive only if money is invested in it! In this industry there is currently an “Astro” rivalry that has been fed to keep installers/contractors, pond groups and manufacturers at each others throats. I have addressed this before in the respect that there are really no consequences for lying/misrepresenting facts. Equal to that are lies of omission, where you know that information you know is totally false is left as “gospel”. To not correct the mis-information is to bear the weight of that misinformation. In this age of You Tube, marketing, sound bites and diffused responsibility, “it’s not my fault” rings like the liberty bell in Philadelphia. When do we as an industry shed all the “spin” and deal with the issues? I noticed on one of the chat/blog/interactive sites there was a post that so and so had said something that was libelous about so and so. To quote Jay Leno, “Oh, Shut up!” There is a point when absurdity takes over. We as a culture have reached the point where absurdity hangs from many in this industry like molasses dripping from a spoon. I have been encouraged by some in the industry to “lighten up” on the message from the president because these messages a.) Are supposed to highlight the good stuff that our organization does b.) Some people in the industry feel it’s too “edgy”. If we continue with the pabulum of non-thought, then nobody asks any pertinent questions and the status quo remains the same. This may be good for the status quo, but it’s very bad for the independent businesses at large. If you, as the bumper sticker says, “Question Authority”, be sure to listen to the answer. Being an “authority” doesn’t necessarily make you right. It only means you’re an authority. If you’re not willing to have an answer you believe incorrect or can’t confirm independently implanted in your head, then you need to challenge the answer you are given. This concept is long overdue in our great industry. Rocke’ Huntington President 2009

INFO TANZA™ 2009

Woodstock, Georgia Dave Jones has spent his life as an outdoorsman, pursuing many hobbies, but ponds have held a special place in his heart for over 30 years. He is an avid pond enthusiast himself, and as a result, brings much more to the “table” with him than the average pond builder. Dave is proud of the fact that he not only ranked 170th in the nation in ’02, and 52nd in ’03 as an installer with Aquascapes (out of 44,000), he is also an Easy Pro distributor, and is one of that companies top installers as well. He has installed, and is constantly updating his knowledge of, a very extensive and diverse variety of equipment in pursuit of both his hobby and his profession. Dave is currently the only Certified Professional Pond Contractor (CPPC) and Certified Master Pond Contractor (CMPC) in the State of Georgia. He is also one of the Founders, and a Member of the International Professional Pond Contractors Association (IPPCA). Dave is a fully licensed and insured contractor, with close to 20 years of reputable and reliable service in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Dave isn’t locked in to just Atlanta, however. He has successfully consulted and resolved problems with ponds both nationally and internationally as a normal part of his business day. Dave is rapidly becoming known as one of the Industry’s premier water feature designers, installers and consultants. From residential water gardens and Koi ponds, to earthen lakes and retention ponds, from UV and bead, to manmade and wetlands filtration, aquatic plants and fish, you’ll find Dave Jones and his company to be a true “Pond Professional” in all aspects of the name. DAVE’S PHILOSOPHY AND INSIGHT: A well designed water feature not only has to look good, it has to function smoothly and effortlessly. Keeping maintenance to a bare minimum is a prerequisite of top-notch design and equipment, and is a plus to our customers that can only be appreciated by experience with other, jury rigged designs and systems. Most of our customers are the ones who’ve been-there-done-that with other routes, and now want it done RIGHT!!!!! Give us a call, and join the ranks of folks that enjoy their ponds, not cuss them.

Pikeville, Tennessee We specialize in Quality Boulders for Landscapes and Water Features". We carry Field Stone Flag Stone for Veneers and Stackable Stone: Thin, Medium and Thick Slabs For those looking for mossy Boulders and lots of character we have a PREMIUM SELECT LIST OF BOULDERS we call MY BOULDER PICKS They are very exceptional looking Boulders and would dramatically enhance any ones landscape or pond feature. Pictures available. Our web site is under construction.

Dix Hills, New York Suburban Water Gardens, Inc. has been in business since 1961 (46 years). We are pond builders, specializing in the design and installation of koi ponds. We have three crews of 6 men each. We sell wholesale to the trade, and retail to the public. We have a complete service department that services what we sell as well as some products that folks buy from others. We grow approx. 28,000 water plants annually in our half acre of greenhouses. We import koi from Japan, Taiwan, and Israel, which are available both wholesale and retail. We have 6 large (4000 gallons to 39,000 gallons) display ponds on site, in a landscaped setting for customers to get ideas. We also have approx 250,000 gallons of water devoted to koi. There is a strong design and horticultural component to the business, as we design ponds and gardens for our own installations, as well as our retail and wholesale clients. We manufacture our own vortex type bio-l0gical filters for ponds from 800 gallons to over 100,000 gallons. We also manufacture stainless steel ultra violet lights, bottom drains, in-line pumps and custom Pond covers to any size. We are open 365 days a year, and have a very knowledgeable staff. We have produced a instructional video, and 20 page booklet on How To Build and Install a Koi Pond and Filter System, including the construction of Bogs and Bog Streams.